


Emma

by Naquar



Category: Orignal Works - Fandom
Genre: Children, Loss of Parent(s), Other, Protector Ghost
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 13:20:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19252024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naquar/pseuds/Naquar





	Emma

"I am not sleepy," said little Emma Warren near the window, clutching Mr Brown's chest, her teddy bear.  
She should have been in bed for a while, but that evening's storm didn't let her sleep.  
Lightning created ugly lights and shadows, so that the large oak wardrobe made it look like a monster hunched over her, ready to eat it.  
The raindrops tapped insistently against the window glass. It was hours that it was raining and no sign of stopping.  
 Emma bit her lip when she heard the hinges of the door creak.  
The figure of Aunt Magdalene appeared in the doorway. Magdalene Warren was a tall, thin woman with a hollow face and stern-eyed eyes, thin lips perpetually clenched in an expression of profound irritation.  
"What are you still doing?" The woman said sternly.  
Emma turned, raised her big green eyes and said, "Sorry, Aunt Maggie but I can't sleep."  
"It's just a storm."  
"But Aunt Maggie!" The girl protested.  
With two quick strides, the woman grabbed Emma's arm. "I'm Magdalene, not Maggie and now you go to bed," she ordered dryly.  
"But..."  
"At your age, are you still afraid of a storm?"  
"No, aunt."  
Reluctantly, the little girl slipped under the covers and watched Magdalene leave, closing the door behind her.  
Emma buried her head in the pillow, trying to ignore the storm.  
When her mother was still there, she always sang a few songs that she improvised on the spot and she would laugh, so much so that she didn't notice any more of the passing time. Then Mom kissed her on the forehead, wishing her good night and then there, she was no longer afraid.  
In the wake of that thought, he was about to fall asleep when he heard footsteps in the room.  
Emma sat up and studied the darkness. Then he reached out and turned on the bedside lamp, revealing the familiar presence of his stepfather.  
"Gordon, it's you!"  
"Hi, my baby."  
"You're back!" Emma exclaimed, smiling.  
"I promised you, my little one: you know that I always come back to see you."  
Gordon sat on the bed, smiling back. "So how are you?"  
Emma felt encouraged by Gordon's presence: she waited impatiently every night to visit her.  
"I can not sleep."  
"I know, thunderstorms have always scared you." "Why don't you sing me a song?"  
"You know I wouldn't be so good at singing it," laughed Gordon.  
"I know this well: you have always been out of tune like a bell."  
"You're right about that."  
"And the aunt?"  
"She's mean to me, she says you don't exist." Emma murmured, looking down.  
"Don't worry about what she says, you and I know it's not true."  
"But I don't want to continue to stay here, my aunt is mean to me." Emma said, glancing towards the door, fearing for a moment that Magdalene heard her.  
"Don't worry, you'll see that things will work out," Gordon assured her, with a wave of his hand.  
"Do you promise me?"  
"Every promise is a debt."  
The little girl felt something warm and reassuring settle lightly on her head. "Now go back to sleep." Then as in a dream, Gordon left and soon Emma slipped into a deep sleep. The next morning it had stopped raining.  
At about half past seven, Magdalene woke up the child.  
After breakfast, Emma went to change.  
He always had the habit of running up the stairs, Magdalene always looked at her, turning up her nose. "Emma, hurry up, you have to go to school," shouted Magdalene from below.  
The little girl leaned over the railing a little. "I'll be right there, Aunt," he answered.  
He took the folder and ran downstairs. "Haven't you forgotten anything?"  
"No, aunt."  
"See you later!"  
Magdalene looked down at the little girl with contempt.  
A sense of relief invaded her when she remained alone.  
She hated that little girl, more than anything else in the world: it was the only obstacle that stood between her and the possibility of starting a different life, far from that hateful gray and lifeless city. She would have spent money and energy to grow Emma , without having anything in return and that damn girl would have enjoyed her parents' legacy.  
There had to be a solution, he thought. His gaze settled on the steep staircase.  
He began to fantasize about how to kill the child, simulating an accident or an accidental fall from the stairs.  
A thin thread tied to the handrail, invisible to Emma, would have been enough, and her problems would have been solved. The morning would have been ideal, when the girl would go downstairs to go to school.  
An evil smile was drawn on Magdalene's face. After she came home from school, Emma spent much of her afternoon doing homework, while Magdalene was sitting on the sofa in the living room, leafing through a magazine. Around five o'clock, the bell rang. "But who is he?" He muttered to himself, standing up.  
"Aunt?" Emma said.  
"Stay there!"  
Magdalene went to open it.  
To his surprise, Michael Leigh and his wife Lauren stood before them: they were longtime friends of Nicole and Gordon.  
They often came to visit their goddaughter; Magdalene could not stand their presence, but made the best of a bad situation, striving to maintain courteous relationships.  
"Good evening, Magdalene."  
"Good evening, what do I owe this visit to?" Replied the woman, with a forced smile.  
As soon as Emma heard the couple's voices, she ran to them. "Hello!"  
"Michael, Lauren, you've arrived!" Emma exclaimed. Michael picked up the girl and ruffled her hair. "How much you grew up."  
"You're becoming a young lady," Lauren added, kissing her on the cheek.  
"I'm already eight," all Emma said proudly.   
"Then you are already great!" Commented Michael.  
"Why don't you come in?" Magdalene asked, stifling a wave of anger.  
"Thank you."   
Lauren pulled a bag from her bag and handed it to the girl.  
"I have a surprise for you." Emma took it and opened it. He exclaimed, pulling out a rag doll.  
"Do you like?"  
"Very much, thanks Lauren"  
Then Emma returned to the living room with her new doll.  
"You shouldn't spoil her," said Magdalene, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"It's just a doll. What's wrong with you? "Replied Lauren.  
"I understand, but wouldn't you want the baby to become spoiled? Even if he is only eight years old, he must know the rules and I do them in here. "Said Magdalene, in a harsh voice.  
Michael and Lauren exchanged glances. "Emma is also our goddaughter, so we have a right to see her."  
"I did not say this."  
"Look, it's just a doll," Michael remarked calmly.  
"At least can we go there and talk to her?"  
"Hurry up, I've got things to do." Magdalene dismissed them coldly.  
Lauren and Michael went to the living room.  
The little girl was playing with her new doll.  
"So how are you?"  
"Well, Lauren."  
"And how are you with Aunt Magdalene?"  
Emma hesitated for a moment before answering with a feeble: "I feel good ..."  
"Really?"  
"Yes, Michael I feel good," repeated Emma, with greater conviction. He didn't want Magdalene to hear it or she would have been very angry.  
"So, do you like your new doll?" Lauren intervened, changing the subject.  
"Yes, I'll call her Jacqueline," Emma answered promptly.  
Magdalene appeared in the doorway.  
Michael turned and saw her. "I think it's time to go. "he said to his wife.  
"Already?" Emma protested.  
"Don't worry, we'll always come back to see you"  
Then Michael and Lauren hastily took leave under Magadalene's satisfied gaze.  
"Go and finish homework right away," he ordered.  
Emma nodded and went back to study.  
That evening, Magdalene was in a bad mood all the time. He hated the fact that the Leighs constantly insisted on seeing the child.  
"Emma is dinner time!" He told her brusquely.  
"Yes, aunt," Emma murmured, sitting down.  
"Before eating we say the prayers."  
Aunt and nephew said a short prayer and then had dinner.  
"I recommend you eat everything, don't throw the stuff away in this house," Magdalene ordered.  
Emma obeyed and ate everything she had on her plate.  
Aunt frightened her a lot and always tried not to contradict her too much because she knew she would be angry.  
"Can I go back to my room?"  
"Go ahead and please, before going to bed remember to say your prayers or you will go to hell," said the aunt, looking at her grimly.  
"Yes, you know I always do aunt."  
"I understand, I want to make sure you do it," retorted Magalene wickedly.  
"I pray for Mom, for Gordon that they ..." Emma interrupted, unable to understand what her relative meant.  
"Emma doesn't pray for the dead, just pray for God!" Magdalene thundered, raising an arm to indicate the child's bedroom.  
Without having it repeated, Emma ran upstairs.  
Why did her aunt do nothing but repeat to her all those evils? Or did he scold her even for the smallest things?  
Mama never took her back like that, even when she was combining some kind of mischief, because she loved her and was a loving mother.  
Emma lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, sad.  
After his father James died, Nicole and she were alone until they met Gordon. He had courted his mother gently and often he always brought her favorite flowers.  
Then six months later they were married. Michael and Lauren had been wedding witnesses.  
A year later, however, her mother had begun to not feel very well: she was always in bed and often had a terrible cough.  
The doctor had said that it was tuberculosis and to make his mother feel better, Gordon always took her to the beach house. They took long walks along the beach and gathered shells.  
But the mother didn't improve at all, on the contrary she seemed to be getting more and more sick and soon she was missing.  
After his mother died, Gordon continued to take care of her but Emma always saw him sad and thoughtful.  
Then one morning, like so many others, at school, Emma didn't see Gordon but Aunt Magdalene who had come to pick her up.  
Emma felt anxiety and worry twisting her stomach, but followed her aunt home without a word.  
Then Magdalene had told her that her stepfather had died in a car accident.  
He remembered that he cried so much that day until he fell asleep exhausted. That evening he had a strange dream where he saw Gordon promise her to protect her from all danger.  
Suddenly he felt his eyelids grow heavy and soon fell into a deep sleep.  
Gordon, that evening, introduced himself as usual, but as soon as he saw his stepdaughter sleeping, he sat down silently on the bed and looked at her.  
He knew he could not leave the human dimension until his beloved Emma was safe.  
He had understood Magdalene's intentions, but he knew he couldn't do much.  
He just had to wait.  
The next day Emma woke up at the usual time.  
After breakfast, about ten o'clock, like every Sunday, Aunt Magdalene took her to Mass. Every time Emma was deeply bored, but she always tried not to get noticed by her aunt. Once it had happened that a yawn had escaped and Magdalene had slapped her, after they had returned home, telling her with malice that it was a pity to start yawning during mass.  
The two of them had lunch around the middle, then Emma went into the room to finish her remaining homework.  
About three-thirty, Magdalene went upstairs and entered. "Listen to Emma, I have to go to Mrs. Pierce, I won't be long, stay at home and don't make trouble," he said.  
Emma nodded.  
The woman went out and before leaving, gave a turn of the key as she used to do.  
Left alone, Emma went to get her new doll.  
He started playing in the living room, since he didn't want to stay in the room.  
He inadvertently hit a vase while waving the rag doll; the vase fell, breaking into a thousand pieces.  
Emma held her breath: she had made it big. He knew that Magdalene cared so much about that vase.  
He ran into the room.  
An hour and a half later, my aunt came home and it wasn't long before she discovered what Emma had done.  
Magdalene went up the stairs and suddenly entered the child's room.  
"Emma, what the hell did you do?" The woman barked.  
"I'm sorry, Aunt didn't do it on purpose," Emma murmured, growing small.  
Magdalene, ignoring his excuses, grabbed her by the arms and began to shake her violently and Emma felt her teeth slam against each other and the hysterical screams of her aunt in her ears.  
Then Magdalene grabbed the rag doll, left on the bed. "You'll never see this again," he hissed poisonously, so as to look like a wicked witch. Without another word, he slammed the door behind him.  
Emma burst into tears.  
At that moment Gordon appeared.  
"My little one, what's happening?" He asked her gently.  
"I broke my aunt's vase, but I didn't do it on purpose! Exclaimed Emma, pulling her nose up loudly.  
"Go wash your face and don't worry about the doll," Gordon murmured, smiling.  
"But Gordon ...!" Emma protested.  
"Nothing but."  
Emma went to the bathroom and washed her face.  
He returned to the room.  
"Did you calm down a little?" Asked her stepfather.  
"Yes I'm fine."  
"Thank goodness," said Gordon.  
At seven, Magdalene went up to her room and called Emma for dinner.  
The girl merely nodded.  
Then at eight, Emma retired to her room. He picked up one of his favorite books, sat on the bed and began to read.  
Meanwhile, at the top of the stairs, Magdalene was arranging a thread, tying it to the ends of the ladder,  
making sure it was tight and firm.  
Magdalene went downstairs.  
"Emma! There is one thing I have to tell you, come on down! "  
The child did not answer.  
"Emma, come on down!" The woman cried.  
Magdalene heard Emma's bedroom door open.  
Then he saw the little girl leaning over the railing. "What is aunt?"  
"Come on down now!" Magdalene ordered.  
"Why?"  
"Do you want to come down or not?"  
Emma sighed and started to walk down the stairs.  
To his surprise, Magdalene saw Gordon's sprettral figure who had stopped the child and was untying the knot of the thread.  
For a few moments, the woman was petrified by the sight of the ghost.  
After the initial shock, a dull rage took over; quickly climbed the stairs and tried to grab the baby, but Gordon faced her. Emma went to hide in a corner of the door, without taking her eyes off what was happening.  
"Leave her alone," said Gordon coldly, like a cold storm wind.  
Magdalene's face was a mask of hatred.  
"You're dead!" He shouted, trying to hide his fear.  
"Leave my baby alone"  
"You're just a devil! You are dead! ”Magdalene shouted again.  
Unwittingly he took a step back, toward the stairs: too late he realized that the wire was back in its place.  
Magdalene let out a chilling scream, and sank down the stairs like a rag doll.  
After that, silence fell.  
Emma came out of her hiding place, scared.  
"Go immediately to Michael and Lauren, explain what happened. They will take care of you, "said Gordon, before leaving forever.  
Emma nodded, silently saying goodbye to him.  
Then he ran to his room and after taking Mr Brown, he began to descend the stairs slowly.  
He carefully avoided approaching his aunt's body, fearing for a moment that he might wake up and jump on her.  
He reached the front door and went out into the night.


End file.
